The invention relates to a blank for a rack with at least one shelf, comprising a starting plate of a permanently deformable material that the plate is formed with at least one bending region in the form of a number of segments and openings, that the plate is formed with a number of elements which each have a side that extends along a bending region while at least one of the remaining sides of the elements is free, and that the rack is formed by bending the elements about their bending regions.
Such racks are used to a large extent as exhibition stands for presentation of different objects, e.g. goods in a supermarket. Those companies or shops that use these stands often make use of many and will additionally regularly have a need for quickly and easily to, as a supplement, assemble more than those already in use.
However, exhibition stands take up space, which is usually valuable. Thus, for considerations of space they are regularly stocked in a planar condition.
By way of example can be mentioned the exhibition stands known from the patent documents U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,100 and WO 2004110222 that can be folded up of one single flat piece of cardboard.
However, these known stands have significant deficiencies in that they are difficult and time consuming to unfold and fold again. Furthermore, the stands are generally not sufficiently collapse resistant and stable. Additionally, cardboard is a very weak material, which is not very stable in use. Thus, an exhibition stand of cardboard will only have a comparatively short lifetime and will in the long run be expensive to use.
The patent document WO 97/48309 mentions a plate with a number of folding lines de limiting a number of elements. When folding about the respective folding lines a three-dimensional furniture structure is formed. It is indicated that the plate can be a rack with shelves. Stability and ability to carry a weight is achieved by means of bended flaps for strengthening the rack and tongues for interconnecting the elements. In many cases, the flaps are so long that it is not possible to bend them manually about the folding lines unless the plate is thin such as indicated in the patent document. The folding lines of the shelves are not constructed to take up the load, which influences the shelves in use. The known plate is difficult to unfold and assemble into, for example, a sustainable rack.
Similar complicated racks are known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,719 B1, German patent application DE 41 18 483 A1, and German utility model DE 29 806 918 U1.